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CMU Engineering Students Unveil Futuristic Inventions

PITTSBURGH (KDKA) --- If you want to solve a problem, call an engineer. Or, in this case, 75 engineering students at Carnegie Mellon University.

The seniors filled a room with innovations for the future.

"There are sixteen design teams who've worked together on collaborative teams to solve medical problems today," says biomedical engineering professor Conrad Zapanta.

Their biomedical prototypes range from use of steam pressure to close abdominal wounds, to diagnostic pacifiers, to blood pressure cuffs for use in Africa.

"Our device is an easy to use, compact, cost effective blood pressure cuff," says engineering student Ashley Brienza. "It features a rigid elbow piece that keeps your arm in the desired shape, automatic deflation, and an output screen that gives you the blood pressure."

"You can start breathing as hard as you can, into the mask," engineering student Laura Lahan says as she demonstrates a video game designed for children whose breathing exercises help them cope with cystic fibrosis.

"There's something really visually rewarding for the child as they go through the game," Lahan adds.

Finally, student Andre Sucanto demonstrates how a manual wheel chair fits neatly onto an electric scooter.

"Lean back a little bit and walk it up," Sucanto says. "Turn on this switch, turn this around and you are ready to go. A power wheelchair usually costs about five thousand six thousand u-s dollars, while this on cost us 350 dollars to build."

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